During the 2020 Oscars held last February 10, 2020, Joaquin Phoenix, a veteran actor, won the

Oscars award for Best Actor for his portrayal in “Joker.” The event was attended mostly by his
fellow actors and actresses, and reputable personalities in the film industry.

What’s unique about that night is that unlike the other winners, Joaquin Phoenix used the
spotlight given to him as he took the award to talk about sociopolitical issues and injustices that
he has noticed, different from the typical journey and success stories and being thankful.

He started his acceptance speech humbly, feeling appreciative of the award and acknowledging
his fellow nominees for their shared interest in the industry that leads him to where he is now.
His speech slowly transitions to his main topic starting by saying that the greatest gift of being an
actor is to become the way for the voiceless to be heard. The following words that came out of
his mouth are to address specific issues that humanity faces, such as social inequality, abuse of
animals by the food industry, systemic inequality, and even cancel culture.

His aim for addressing this issue to the public is to impact society and change those ideologies he
deemed unjustly. He wants to change human’s selfishness. For him, if we support and uplift one
another, the world would be a better place, eradicating these issues, and love and peace would
prosper.

Since most attendees are well-known personalities and are very influential, this is the perfect
time for him to deliver his message and address these issues that many are not aware of. By
influencing those personalities that many look up to, a change in the society may happen. In his
speech, he used sensitive topics to manipulate his listeners emotionally and be more impactful
and memorable.

I think that he successfully delivers his message to the audience, but since the place and event
doesn’t fit the context of his speech, time is limited to support his ideas fully, and due to his
shaky voice, I think that he failed to cause action for a change.